Healthcare professionals often face the challenge of balancing the demands of patient care with their own well-being. For Toni Grant’s (Respiratory Therapy ’06, Anesthesia Assistant ’20) family grew, finding that balance led her to a fulfilling role in the high demand field of anesthesia assistant.
As someone with asthma, Toni was drawn to help people with respiratory conditions. After earning an BSc in Biology from the University of Toronto, she decided against medical school and chose to work in a different area of frontline care.
She found her calling in Michener’s Respiratory Therapy program, and as she entered the workforce, she also found plenty of opportunity. “I worked four jobs by 2016,” Toni says. “I just worked non-stop – I worked probably eight or nine days in a row at a time.”
As her personal life evolved, Toni began to seek more stability. Her answer came through Michener once again and the Anesthesia Assistant (AA) program. Since respiratory therapy is the background for many anesthesia assistants, she says it felt like a natural progression.
“I was already doing 90% of the AA role in my respiratory therapy position, so it just made sense in terms of paths to pursue,” she says. “And I’ve always loved learning, and my experience at Michener, so that made the decision easier.”
Graduating in 2020, Toni entered her new profession at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She credits her experience in critical care at Toronto General for helping her manage the influx of intubated patients.
“Our OR was full tilt at that time – all the emergencies and critical patients, and a wave of patients bypassing their family doctors to come see us,” she says. “My previous experience was essential as I started a new role at that hectic time.”
Now that the pandemic has subsided, Toni is confident in her career choice – and encourages others to follow her lead.
“I’d absolutely take this program again,” she says. “For anyone who is ready to move away from critical care, you should consider the AA program. I have no regrets with my job change.”
“I’ve become such an advocate now. I tell everyone I meet, ‘You should become an AA!’”